Top Tips To Know Before You Buy Your First Home

As we all know the housing market is a turbulent place. And if you are a first time property buyer you will be very aware of the struggle to get a foot on the ladder. And those who own and are looking to move are put off by estate agent fees. Traditional techniques for becoming an owner rather than a renter are changing.

• Buying with a friend or family member is becoming increasingly popular
• Participation in shared ownership schemes in on the rise

Whilst buying with a friend or family member follows the traditional route and applies to any property, participating in a shared scheme tends to be a feature of new builds. Move & Save, estate agents in Mansfield explain, “ Rent to own new builds are an ever increasingly popular means of getting on the property ladder. They work on the basis of you buying 25% of the house outright and then paying a monthly rental fee until you can afford to pay off another percentage amount. Eventually you will own the whole property and no longer have to pay rent.”

Finding a property no longer involves trawling the high street looking in estate agent windows in the hope of stumbling upon your dream home. Instead the internet is a fantastic resource of searching for properties based on your own specified criteria. A survey of estate agents in Mansfield culminated in this list of tips for finding a property.

• Book to see a property as soon as you see it. There are plenty of hungry house hunters out there and you don’t want them beating you to it.
• Viewings can take place at any time, so maximise your opportunities by going before or after work and on your lunch.
• If you are buying with a friend or family member, designate one as chief looker. They will be able to weed out the weak properties so you can concentrate on the stronger ones.
• Bare in mind that new carpets, bathrooms and kitchens can be signs of superficial changes designed to mask bigger problems.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for second and third viewings and feel free to take tradesmen with you if you are looking at making alterations.

Making an offer is a the next step in securing your property. If the price is good and the accurate for the property then don’t try and go in too low to try and get a bargain. Offer the asking price if fair and you’ll have more chance of success.

Estate agents fees have been news worthy of late so make sure you do your research to find out how much they are charging before signing up to an agency who are taking you for a ride. The national average is 1.8% but cheaper alternatives can be found. Move & Save, Estate Agents in Mansfield who have helped contribute to this article start their charges at £299 plus VAT. By significantly reducing their fee they save there customers up to £8000 in comparison to other estate agents in Mansfield. To see what they offer and the properties they have available now, click here: Move & Save